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Zookeeper in Serious Condition in Tampa After Lion Bites Off Part of Arm

Aired May 13, 2002 - 11:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: A zookeeper in serious condition this morning in Tampa after a lion bit off part of her arm. Andrew Meadows is a reporter for "The Tampa Tribune." He's writing on the story today. He joins us by phone.

Andrew, good morning.

ANDREW MEADOWS, "THE TAMPA TRIBUNE": How are doing today.

KAGAN: I'm doing OK, better than this young 21-year-old woman. How did this situation take place in the first place?

MEADOWS: She was giving a private tour to her family, her parents and her boyfriend and his parents, and they don't know exactly. They are looking into what exactly happened. Apparently her arm reached between the metal bars of the lion's cage, and the lion ripped it off.

KAGAN: The lion did what lions can do. We've had video, we were just showing our viewers, of the women being rushed to the hospital. I understand not only she was rushed, but her arm as well. Any efforts to reattach that arm?

MEADOWS: My understanding, the latest information is doctors worked last night to reattach it. I don't know how that worked out. We're trying to find that out and report it in tomorrow's newspaper.

KAGAN: We will watch for that. Meanwhile, what happens with Max the lion. He's a 12-year-old lion, 350 pounds. This is a wild animal. But you clearly don't want somebody biting people's arms off.

MEADOWS: Right. Bush Gardens officials say they are not going to do anything to the lion. They seemed to understand that he is a wild animal, and this is the way wild animals behave. So he will continue to be an attraction for the park.

KAGAN: And meanwhile, as I was reading on your online edition today, this is not the first type of situation of animal versus human that's gone wrong at Busch Gardens.

MEADOWS: No, again, they have wild animals there. I think the last fatality was 13 years ago when an elephant crushed a worker. KAGAN: And while we have you here, give a plug to your Web site, because not everyone has access to your paper, but they do if they go online.

MEADOWS: Sure. It's www.tbo.com.

KAGAN: TBO, very east, "Tampa Tribune." Andrew Meadows, thanks for brining us the latest on that women. We wish her well in her recovery in Tampa, Florida.

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